How far does the representation of a particular social group change over time?

Over time the representation of youths has changed. This change can be quite clearly be seen through the comparison of movies such as Rebel Without A Cause and Y2K films such as Kidulthood. In these films, the Rebel culture is the culture which is being shown as having changed. Instantly the differences are very clear through both mise-en-scene and dialogue. James Dean, in Rebel Without A Cause, is well spoken and shows respect to who he is talking to. He also dresses quite smart in and out of school. James Dean even hangs around with the character who is not seen to be 'cool' or in the in-group. Only later on in the film does he wear a red jacket with the collar up which was in those times seen as a rebels style of clothing. Females are seen as part of the group in Rebel Without A Cause but are not seen as rebels themselves. However in Kidulthood the females have a group of their own, not hanging around with the male rebels but instead creating their own female rebel group. The clothing also differs in the Y2K film. The clothing which the 'rebels' wear are hoodies, jeans and trainers for the males and low cut tops, short skirts and other revealing styles of clothing. Even when in school uniform, instead of dressing smart, the rebels would wear hoodies or hats over their school uniform to show that they are a part of this culture. The dialogue also differs from that of Rebel Without A Cause. While James Dean and the other rebels spoke quite respectfully and formally, the youths in Kidulthood use alot of colloquialism in their speech when communicating as well as alot of swearing. The topics of which they speak are also quite adult and permiscuous usually including sex. If not sex then violence. This shows their rebellious culture through their speech as well as their actions where as in Rebel Without A Cause all of the trouble which they got up to was a lot more playful and troublesome.

The social class differs between the rebels in RWAC and the rebels in Kidulthood also. In RWAC James Dean is of the middle to upper class which explains why he is well spoken and dressed, where as in Kidulthood all of the characters are of the lower to working class, living in flats and on estates. In RWAC education and going to school is seen as a positive and more of an achievement as the rebels wanted to go somewhere in life. In Kidulthood school and education is more seen as hastle to the rebels and none of them really care for their future, getting pregnant at young ages and getting involved with criminal activities such as guns and drugs. The more disrespectful the characters are in Kidulthood, the more respect they gained from their peers putting them in the in-group, while those who tried to not be disrespectful or keep 'bad company' was part of the 'out-group' and were generally picked on or bullied. In RWAC those who wished to just keep their business to themselves were left alone and went by unnoticed. In RWAC, when James Deane was alone with the girl, the most that they done was hug one another and go to sleep in one anothers arms, in Kidulthood the youths were having sex and getting pregnant.

To conclude, the representation of the rebel social group has changed significantly overtime. These changes include dress sense, their behaviour and the way in which they communicate. Instead of just raising their collar, rebels now use hoodies or bandanas with trainers, usually concealing their identity. Their behaviour is a lot more serious now than it was back in the times of RWAC also as the events which take part in the rebels lives are alot more serious than they were. In the times of RWAC the biggest fear on a parents mind was their child being arrested or being escorted home by the police while in Kidulthood the streets and lifestyles of the rebels are alot more serious and dangerous. Also explicit topics are alot more openly spoken about as well as actions such as sex. All of the actions which were seen as rebellious in RWAC were taken in Kidulthood and were seen as acceptable such as smoking, carrying weapons and so on, while other actions which are alot more serious were committed also. The idea of the 'in-group' and 'out-group' was seen in both films however which backs up Henri Tajfel's social identity theory. When the audience sees one group from another character's viewpoint, their opinions on other characters and groups within the film are swayed because of the way the groups have been represented to us.

How do young people form their own 'Collective Identity' through reality TV?

From the day that we are born we begin to create our own collective identity. Our collective identity then gives us a sense of belonging. We find our collective identity through many different things in life which we can have in common with others. These things include music, hobbies, fashion, religious beliefs, interests and so much more. Pretty much every aspect of our life could possibly be an aspect of another persons life, there by making us feel as if we are in the in-group and gives us a sense of belonging.

Reality TV shows such as 'Geordie Shore', 'The Only Way is Essex' and 'Made in Chelsea' each have a group of youths who have similar interests, hobbies and lifestyles. Although they are not all exactly the same they help one another to form a 'collective identity' by making each other feel like they fit in and have a purpose. Each of this shows are set in different locations. Each of these locations are of a different social class and the characters within each of these shows conform to that class. An example of this is 'Made in Chelsea'. The area of Chelsea is an upper class area full of wealthy people. This will affect the identity of those who live there, therefore creating a different lifestyle. In each of the shows stated above, the characters are in the popular group of that area, generally doing what is seen as 'cool' in their social class. This is why in 'The Only Way Is Essex' their actions completely differ from that of the actions of the characters in 'Made In Chelsea' although both groups of youths are seen as popular by their peers. This backs up Henri Tajfel's social identity theory that a person’s sense of who they are is based on their group membership. Michael Foucalt's theory is also backed up as he says that when are born you have a primary and basic identity that builds as you get older and meet new people. According to Michael Foucalt's theory, your collective identity will change based on the people around you and their characteristics too.

In 'Made In Chelsea' all of the youths can relate to one another through social class and  wealth. They all wear expensive clothing and seem to have materialistic values and care mainly about spending money than how they can actually use it wisely. Because of all of these factors which they have in common, it influences their interests. This is where the youths gain their sense of belonging as they can go about their daily hobbies together as a group and enjoy themselves. Being around people with the same personality (and even lifestyle for this show) can help youths to connect and form their collective identity. Once again this backs up Henri Tajfel's theory as he said ''the groups we are part of become an important part of our lives and transform into a source of pride and self-esteem and in order to increase our social identity, we enhance the status of the group.'' It also backs up Richard Jenkins' theory which says ''You need to interact in order to form our identity and  partake in events with people we are affiliated with.''

However, some of the collective identities which are shown on reality TV can generate a prejudice view of certain groups in society making other assume that all people of that group are similar. An example of this is the show 'The Only Way Is Essex'. All of the youths in this show live a 'Glamerous' lifestyle and all of the females act like 'Blonde Bimbos' and 'Barbie Dolls'. The reality TV show has recieved many complaints from others who live in Essex as they believe that the show is causing a stereotypical view for them and that not all people from Essex do not live their lives like this. This shows that Henri Tajfel was correct when he said that there is an 'In-group' and an 'Out-group'. This also backs up the theory of Stuart Hall as his theory says that the media creates an ideological and politically constructed representation. This theory is backed up as it is the use of media which is generating this stereotypical representation of Essex people.

Stuart Hall's theory can also be applied to the London Riots. The media portrayed youths in a negative light and even caused youths to be feared by older members of the public. This is a stereotypical view of the youths generated by the media.

In conclusion young people form their collective identity through reality television by making shows such as 'Made In Chelsea' and 'The Only Way Is Essex', 'Geordie Shore' and having similar personalities, values, hobbies, interests and dress style as each other. This gives them their collective identity